2003 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-002

Description

Second doubled die obverse cataloged by VarietyVista for the 2003 Philadelphia Mint Lincoln Memorial Cent, this variety shows a light spread on LIBERTY manifesting as notches on the lower southwest serifs of the letters. Die markers UVC-2483 and DMR-003 identify the specific die pair, with Stage A showing both the obverse and reverse in early-to-mid die state (EMDS) — indicating the die had seen moderate use but was not yet exhibiting advanced deterioration when the earliest documented specimens were struck. Stages B (MDS) and C (LDS) remain unconfirmed. The EMDS designation is a more precise staging call than the standard EDS or MDS classifications, and its use here indicates that variety researchers found the die characteristics fell between the two standard states. The notching on lower southwest serifs of LIBERTY is a subtle but diagnostic form of doubling that requires magnification to observe, where the hub displacement created a stepped or notched appearance on the letter serifs rather than a full extra image. The 2003-P Lincoln Memorial Cent belongs to the late production years of Gasparro's Memorial reverse, and DDO-002's position as the second documented obverse doubled die suggests a relatively modest DDO count for this date compared to the prolific DDR populations cataloged for nearby years. Light spread varieties demand careful examination and represent the more technically challenging end of doubled die cherry-picking.

Die Markers

• UVC-2483
• DMR-003
• Stage A:
• Obverse and Reverse EMDS
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Bob Mohan
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References